Mechanical plating-machine.



w. n. ms. MECHANICAL RATING IACHINE.

amlcmon 'rin'b Arlyn. m1.

Pmnwd Jan. 22, mm

3 $HEETSSHEET l.

w. a. me,

MECHANICAL PLATING MACHINE APPLICATION ill-ED APR- l5| l9- imam Jan. 22,1918.

3 HTH 1,254,046. F finwhfo c w; n....xms.

MECHANISM. PU TING MACHINE;

mama Jm 22,1918.

' APPLIQKTW" FILED APR. 16. INT.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Fig. .4.

W E m" w w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS B. KIN G, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE HANSON & VAN WINKLE IECHANIGAL PLATING-MAOHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

Application filed April 18, 1917. Serial No. 162,449.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS R. Kano, a. citizen of the United States, residm at Newark, county of Essex, and State of ew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Plating- Machines, of which the following is a specificatlon.

My invention relates in general to electroplating and analogous operations and in particular to apparatus for plating articles bers orinto contact with work pieces which receive current from them, and in this way a distribution of the plating over the entire outer surface of the work piece is accomplished. In those forms of rotary barrels heretofore employed, the anodes have been disposed in a plating vat outside of the work receptacle which revolves therein and the cathode elements have been disposed on the inside of the work receptacle, the receptacle being provided with porous or permeable walls 1: rough which the circuit from anode to cathode was maintained by the electrol te. The passage of current was thus from the outside and directed inwardly through the porous walls, the pieces of the work being thus maintained .in a position between the axis of rotation and the anodes from which the plating current flowed on its way to the cathodes. 'Ihe disposition of the anodes outside of the rotating barrel involves a certain clearance space between the anodes and the barrel and brings the work pieces at a conslderable distance from the anodes and electromotive force to overcome a corresponding resistance in maintaining the desired current densit The object of my invention is to improve the current path and to obtain a better presentation of the work while at the same time increasing the efiiciency and output of the apparatus.

viding the cathode elements around the in ner periphery of the receptacle whereby the current has a direct path and radiates outward from the axial anode to the circumferential cathodes and the interposed work ieces electrically connected therewith by gravity contact. In addition to the axial anode, I may, if desired, retain the usual outside anodes and in that case provide for a supply of current both inward and outward toward the cathode elements.

In order to uniformly consume the axial anode material, it is desirable to rotate the latter with the rotary work receptacle, whereby theplating action is caused to proceed from successive parts of the outer periphery or circumference of the anode material. While annular anodes might be'secured upon an axial shaft within the rotary work receptacle, I find that they tend to become loose through being consumed or from other causes, so that it is diflicult to insure their long-continued rotation with the shaft.- To overcome this drawback, I have employed an axial shaft which itself constitutes an lnner rotary anode, which is to be re arded as one of the important features 0 my present invention.

An embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a top plan view of an electroplating apparatus according to m invention, with the work receptacle 5 own in horizontal section;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof on th li-ne 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail end view showing one of the work re eptacle heads;

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of one end of the apparatus;

. Fig. 5 is a diagram in plan illustrating the electrical circuits.

Referring in detail to said drawings, 10

indicates a tank adapted to contain an electrey-plating bath and provided with the usual anode rods 11, 12 u on which may be hung the anodes 13, 14. onductor 15 leads to anode rods 11 and 12 for su-pplyin current thereto. Branches 16, 17 of conductor ad to contact brackets or seats 18, 19,

' easily removed appear.

. hanger 53 has a bearing which project slightly over the space within the tank. Similar contact brackets or seats 20, 21 are provided inthe opposite end of the tank and lead off the current through suitable connections,'as for example. the conductors 22, 23.

A shaft 24 is journaled at 25 (Fi 4) in one end of the tank. The inner en of the shaft 24 pro ects: into the space within the tank and terminates in a T 26 which is to form a clutch element for applying rotary motion to the work receptacle as will later A. worm gear 27is fixed upon the outer end of shaft 24 and is engaged by a. worm 28 journaled in bearing brackets 29. The shaft 30 of worm 28 is provided with a'belt pulley 31 for receiving power, said shaft 30 being journaled in bearing bracket 32 andprovided with a clutch member 33 cooperating with a. similar clutch member 34' on the worm 27 and drawn into and out of engagement by clutch lever 35. he workreceptacle is in the form of a rotary barrel having perforated or porous sides and adapted electrolyte bath contained in the tank 10. Its' entire Weight preferably rests upon the contact brackets 18, 19, 20 and 21 through its supporting frame whereby the desired electrical connections are made with the anode and cathode elements carried by the barrel. In this way the work receptacle is for replenishing. .The barrel heads are indicated at 4.0, 41' tween them are arranged the longitudinal frame pieces or strips 42. The strips 42 have mounted between them the perforated sheets or plates43, of for example celluloid. which are confined under strips 44 secured upon strips 42 by screws 45. face of each stri 44-, and within the space inclosed by sai perforated plates, is secured a cathode bar 46. The cathode bars 46. are electrically connected together by means of screws 47 which pass through'the barrel heads and are screwed down against contact disk or plate 48.- Klhe disk 48 has an axial'perforation 49 in which is fixedly se 41 secure the disk firmly to the head so that rotary movement canbe transmittedto'thebarrel or work, receptacle through the clutch and shaft described. A metallic 54 in which the shaft 50 is freely'journaled and this hanger is formed 55-ad brackets 20, 21, and thereby the current is led off from the cathodes throughthe screws 47, disk 48, shaft 50, frame 53, shelf 55 with a transverse plate'or shelf and be 23 back to line.-

Upon the inner' ceptacle, from which the current is may iand

apted to rest upon the supporting work receptacle. 1 tank, the cross pieces or shelves 55 rest upon and seats 20,21. In this-way the electrical contact is firmly maintained due to the force of gravity actin upon the supported parts to hold them-in rm engagement with the supporting members, while at the same time the constant rotation of shafts 50 within the bearing 54 underneath the lirguid bath, insures always a clean surface 0 contact.

The rotary work receptacle also has an interior anode in theiforn'l of a peripherally ribbed axial shaft- 56 extending longitudinally therein with one end squared and seated in the recessed head 41 and the other end having a squared portion passing through a central shoulderedblock- 57 secured in an axial perforation of head 40 by means of countersunk screws 58. The outer end of shaft 56 beyond the squared portion, is reduced and freely hanger 59 providcdwith a transverse plate or shelf similar to that shown at 55 for resting upon the supporting brackets 18 and 19, through which current is supplied. Hangers 53 and 59 arespaced apart at the top by a longitudinal rod 60 which is in- .sulated at 61 from the l'langcr Current enters from conductors 15,16 and 17 and passes through supporting into the hanger 59 and anode shaft 56, through the work pieces and the electrolyte in the work receptacle, and then through the cathodes 46 and out by way of screws 47, disk 48, shaft 50, hanger 53, supporting brackets 20, 21 and conductors 22 and At the same time current also enters from conductors 15 into the anode rods 11, 12, and passes through the anodes 13, 14 and then intotheelectrolyte and work pieces contained in the work re led off through the circuits already described. A porous or perforated screen 64 surrounds the axial anode shaft 56 so as to prevent direct contact of the work with the anode. his screen is'mounted at one end in the head 40 and at the other end on the block 57 and is preferably of celluloid and proplates 18 and 19,

which the current may pass.

Access to and from the interior of the work receptacle may be afforded by making one* of the panels or seats of'celluloid removable as indicatedat 65. This panel 65 for example be removed by taking out the blocks 66, 67 or in any other suitable 'way. To renew the'interior anode, the shouldered block 57 is withdrawn from head the anode may thenjbe axially re moved and replaced.

In ope ration'the work receptacle is filled up to a suitable height with the work and then introduced into the tank, the hangers 53, 59 forming a carrying frame for the lVh'en lowered into the supporting crgttaot, brackets 18, 19, at the ositive end and 20, 2; at the negative end. he elect ical connections are thus automatically made in the act of iutroducin the receptacle into the tank- The clutc pieces 2 and 51 are made to assume the proper relative positions to permit the oper position ismaintained so ion as the recep-,

tacle is held in place upon. its angers. The

clutch 33, as is then thrown into driving engagement and'the work. receptacle is thus M caused ume a slow and uniform rotary motion, causing. the work pieces to tumble over and over and bringing them into contact with the cathode strips 46 and resenting all sides of them to the electro-p ating action.

This deposition takes place, in the apparatus according to theembodiment illustrated,

from within and without, radiating outward from the axial anodefid to the surrounding cathode strips 46 and inward from the anodes 13 and 14:. a

I claim i 1. Apparatus of the character described;

- comprlsing in combination a bath container,

a rotary work receptacle disposed therein, anode material constituting an integral shaft and anode, mounted axially of said rotar receptacle, and cathode members dispose in said receptacle at a distance from said anode and accessible to the work within the receptacle, 9

2. Apparatus of the characterdescribed,

comprising in combination a bath container,

a rotary. work receptacle adapted'to work therein, an axially disposed anode, in said work receptacle, a screen surrounding said anode to exclude the work, and suitably disposed cathodes outside of said screen and carried bysaid work receptacle for leading ofi current from the work pieces.

3. Apparatus of the character described, comprismg in combination a bath container, a work receptacle adapted to'rotate therein and having at one end a head provided with a shouldered block adapted to sit within an ative engagement with eachother and this axial perforation of the head, an anode suitable dimensions to be introduced and withdrawn through said opening, suitably disposed cathode material and means for making electrical connections with said anode and cathode material. I i

5. Apparatus of the character described,

comprising in combination a generally cylin drical" rotary Work receptacle having an axial opening through one "end, a removable axial anode E closure for said opening, an

adapted to be introduced through said open i ing and having one end passing through and projectin from said closure and the other ,end seate in the opposite end-ofsaidreceptacle, a separate shaft ormstud projecting axially outward from said opposit end- 1f the rotary work receptacle, cathodes elecf" trically connected with said separate shaft" or stud, andmeans for supporting and making electrlcal connections with the pro ect- -ing shaft portions.

WrLLIs R. KING. 

